He welcomed Russian troops ‘gayola port’ at Hostómel the day the full-scale invasion began, and his role there probably prevented them from taking kyiv in three days, as Putin promised. He assures that his life is a great war in which he has been fighting since he was 14 years old, when the Russians took him prisoner while they invaded his country, Georgia. He was in captivity for three months, and he does not consider that he has been left with psychological trauma, but physically he experienced firsthand the torture that the Russians are capable of perpetrating – whom he considers terrorists.
Mamuka Mamuslavili is a charismatic leader. One of those men who is respected by office and armchair rulers alike, and by the soldiers who fight under him and cross Russian lines in the Ukraine on near-suicidal missions. “When Mamuka is around, you know that everything will be alright” say – with absolute devotion – the members of the Georgian Legion.
Mamuka is the commander-in-chief of this unit of volunteer combatants –the oldest and largest in Ukraine–, which brings together soldiers of 33 nationalities and that he himself founded in 2014, to fight against Russia. He has devoted his life to fighting Russia, and his reputation precedes him: from the Ukrainian side he received the “Order of Merit of the National Hero”; from the Russian side, they call him a ruthless killer. Mamuka smiles when you remind him: in addition to leading the Georgian Legion, he is an expert in Russian propaganda, and knows his narratives well.
The leader of the Georgian Legion, Mamuka Mamulasvili.
Ukraine
He assures that Russia’s desire for expansion has never been quenched. Georgia suffered them 15 years ago, now it is Ukraine’s turn, and later they will continue invading other territories if they are not stopped forcefully.
Zelensky’s country is united by the fight against this common enemy, but also by the gratitude of knowing that the Ukrainians were the only ones who supported Georgia in its war against Russia. Just as the Georgian Legion now exists in the Ukraine, the Ukrainians created their own battalion to fight alongside the Georgians. And Mamuka does not forget it.
The Georgian Legion is the largest and oldest volunteer fighting corps in Ukraine.
Ukraine
ASK.- Why did you come to fight in the Ukraine, in a war that is not yours?
ANSWER.- To understand why the Georgians are in this war, you have to understand what, in essence, Russia is: it is one of the last remaining barbarian countries in the world, they do not understand or respect diplomatic channels, the only language they understand is that of weapons. Those of us who have fought or are fighting against Russia do so to defend democracy in the countries it attacks.
Russia, as a neighbor, is unable to keep the peace and coexist with other countries. Today’s Russia, as a country, as a culture, is incapable of coexisting in peace. And I believe that given the amalgamation of regions that exist today within the Russian Federation, also It is difficult for them to maintain internal peace, I think they will end up splitting from within.
Freedom and democracy, both in Ukraine and in Georgia, today depend on a possible annexation to the European Union and entry into NATO. But still, until there is a dissolution of present-day Russia, peace is not guaranteed.
For me, the one in the Ukraine is not a different war than the one in Georgia; it is the same war. I’ve been fighting a big war since I was 14 years old.
With your experience of the Georgian war and Russia’s way of acting, I imagine that you did anticipate that the Kremlin was capable of invading Ukraine.
I think that the rest of Europe is still not aware of what Russia is, of its lack of words. But it’s easy for me to anticipate what they’re going to do, because they have been acting the same for 300 years.
They already did it in my country, in 2008, but that war did not have the media coverage that the one in Ukraine is having. Do you remember seeing the Georgia war on TV like we are watching this one? The world did not know anything about us, but we did know what Russia was like.
Q.– Are you hurt that Europe did not give Georgia the support and media attention that we are giving Ukraine?
R.– It doesn’t make me angry, but it doesn’t make me happy because it was a war in which many people died. It was tremendously unfair to a country as small as Georgia, there were even politicians who pointed out that we started the war ourselves. At that time, there were already European politicians who were dependent on Russia, or even in the pay of Russia, and they silenced that war. Today we see the consequences of these lobbies also in Ukraine: many politicians depend on Russia and the economy of some countries depends on Gazprom. Russia breeds corruption.
AND corrupt politicians from Germany and France were the first to deny Georgia and Ukraine entry to the European Union in their day, and they did it because of their dependence on Russia. We are seeing the consequences of their actions now. The Ukrainian war will not end as long as Germany and France remain dependent on Russia for energy.
Mamuka was captured by the Russians when he was 14 years old, during the Georgian war, who tortured him.
Ukraine
Q.– You had been fighting in the Ukraine for eight years when the full-scale invasion began.
R.– Yes, I came to Ukraine in April 2014, which is when I founded the Georgian Legion. I don’t know if this is good or bad but when they attacked Georgia only Ukraine helped us. And this is one of the reasons why we are here today, and why we are also such a large unit, because there are many Georgians who have also come to repay the aid.
Q.– When the full-scale Russian invasion began, you fought at Hostómel, one of the most epic battles fought in those early stages of the war. Did you really prevent the Russians from taking kyiv?
R.– For me it was another day in the battle. My battalion was mobilized towards that area and we were the first to reach Hostómel. We received the Russians there on February 24. As for whether or not it was that relevant, I prefer that for historians to judge, but I will tell you that I am happy that it was the Georgian Legion that received the Russians on the front line.
Q.– Did you think that Zelensky was going to resist as he has?
R.– For me, Zelensky has fought all the political battles well. He has done what he had to do, he has done his job: he has stayed in the country. And, furthermore, he has surrounded himself with a good team to face this war. Moreover, thanks to him, the Georgian battalions also stayed in the Ukraine.
Q.– And the Ukrainian Army, is it also prepared to resist?
R.– The Ukrainian Army has become one of the most powerful armies in Europe, partly forced by the 9 years of war that they have already carried out, but logically they continue to learn.
On the other hand, the Russian Army has lost most of its elite corps, the ones that were really prepared, during the first months of the war. Now only the Wagners and the forces that they have mobilized by force, who have little preparation, remain.
Q.– Do you think that Ukraine has made any mistakes, at the military level, in the last 16 months?
R.– If he had made some serious mistake, we would not be talking calmly in kyiv right now. And from the less serious mistakes that have been made in these nine years of war, we have learned. Ukraine has worked hard on its mistakes.
Q.– What does the Georgian Legion bring to the Ukrainian Army?
R.– First of all, it is the largest international legion fighting here today. Secondly, it is a very well prepared professional army with experience in other wars. And in third place, but just as important, there is the empathic part: we make it clear to them that they are not alone, and that is morally very important. We were sorry too when they came to help us in Georgia.
Q.– How many and how are they integrated into the structure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces?
R.– We are approximately 2,000 and we have a contract signed with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which is who pays us the salary. We are dedicated to carrying out special operations, and we are part of the Ukrainian Military Intelligence. We operate in groups that have the capacity to integrate with the Ukrainian battalion that needs us.
Q.– How do you see the course of the Ukrainian counteroffensive at the moment?
R.– I see very good dynamics in the counteroffensive, but Ukraine needs more weapons. Europe and the world should not think that the war is in its final stretch: the war has just begunand they need a lot more weapons to be able to push towards that ending.
Q.– There are Telegram channels where they accuse you of defending the torture of Russian prisoners. Are you in favor of torturing Russian soldiers?
R.– [Ríe mientras le traducen la pregunta] It is Russian propaganda, published on pro-Russian channels that have been fabricating these stories for years and fake news about the Georgian Legion. By the way, I teach classes on Russian propaganda in the United States. I am an expert in how they work.
Q.– What is the most painful thing you have seen in this war?
R.– It is difficult to highlight just one thing, but the layoff in Bucha was very hard on the soldiers: find children tied up and raped, civilians executed… and feel that we had not arrived on time.
Q.– You have been living here for nine years, I suppose you already consider Ukraine your home, will this be your home after the war?
R.– No, I won’t stay. We will be here until the war is over and all the cities are vacated, but then we will leave to continue fighting in other places where Russia continues to do the same. Because Russia will continue to do the same. It is a terrorist state, political and social, and it will not stop.
